When artists prepare to sketch or paint a subject, whether it be a landscape, natural object, or even a person, they desire to "frame" the subject to see how it would look. Framing a subject involves blocking out undesired objects and changing the dimensions of the viewed area (e.g., square, rectangular, vertical, horizontal, etc.) to determine the best composition of the subject in the eyes of the artist.
In order to "frame" a subject being viewed, an artist often uses his or her fingers to block out undesired objects. Sometimes an artist will use an empty photographic slide holder as a frame to block out undesired areas. However, these techniques are cumbersome and are not at all convenient.
There has not heretofore been provided a compact viewing frame having the features and advantages described herein.